The Case Of The Missing Jello
by Zhailei
Summary: Five times Teal'c and Vala cheated. Teal'c & Vala.


"Can I play?"

Cam's distracted for a minute by Vala's request, and he turns around as he hears the ball drop into the basket behind him. He tries glaring at Teal'c, but Teal'c just raises an eyebrow, and after a minute, he gives up.

"Do you even know the rules?" he asks, and it's not like it really matters; Vala doesn't exactly seem the type to let rules get in the way.

"Of course I do," she says, and Cam shakes his head; she's not as good a liar as she thinks she is.

"I will assist you," Teal'c offers, and Cam glares again. Teal'c looks deliberately stoic.

"Fine," he agrees, after a moment, because he knows when he's been beaten. "But that last shot doesn't count."

Teal'c inclines his head, a little too quickly, and Cam thinks he should have pressed for better terms.

Vala swishes onto the court, and Cam fetches the ball; dribbles, once, and moves forward, a grunt of surprise forced from his lips when Teal'c intercepts.

"There," Vala says, as the ball flies neatly towards the basket. "That doesn't look too hard."

Teal'c hands her the ball, and she sets off without dribbling. Cam doesn't bother to argue as he dashes forward, just missing when Teal'c lifts her up to dunk the ball into the hoop. Cam frowns, and as Vala laughs, smiling up at Teal'c, he thinks this probably wasn't the best idea he's ever had.

"You've got to bounce the ball," he says, but it's a lost cause; he's been outplayed, and he knows it.

When Teal'c and Vala win by a humiliating margin, he doesn't bother to point out that they were cheating.

-

Daniel lets out a cry of protest when Vala swipes his jello, for all the good he thinks it'll do. She digs a spoon into the bowl with a grin, and he sits back, already admitting defeat.

Across the table, Cam smirks at him, and Daniel notices he's guarding his own jello closely.

"This is good," she says between mouthfuls, and he resists the urge to point out that yes, it is, which is why he got it in the first place. He tells himself he's just afraid she'll offer to share.

Nobody, he thinks, should be able to eat jello that quickly. She glances around the table, and Cam hurriedly leaves.

"Are you going to eat that?" she asks Teal'c, who glances up from his tray. After a minute, he says, quietly, "Indeed."

"All right," she says, and shrugs. She leans back, and Daniel narrows his eyes.

"How comes you listen to him?" he asks, and the rest of the question remains unspoken.

Vala glances at him, smiling, and shrugs again. "I like Teal'c."

Across the table, Teal'c almost grins, and finishes his jello.

-

"It is the name given to a gift of blessing which graces a new home," Teal'c says simply. His voice is impassive, but Sam could almost swear there's a hint of smugness behind it.

"That's not -" Daniel starts, and Sam cuts him off with a look. _Not English,_ she could finish for him, but Teal'c eyebrow raise is challenging. They'd never actually specified that when they started the game, and besides, they'd allowed _atlatl_ on Daniel's last turn.

"Fine," she says, with a smile that's a little more forced than usual. Teal'c looks pleased. "That's twenty-two points."

Among all the languages represented so far, her own offering of _duck_ pales in comparison. She notes the points with a sigh, and almost misses the movement in the corner of her eye when Vala reaches towards the scrambled tiles.

Vala's looking back at her innocently when she glances up, and Sam decides to watch her more carefully.

Later, Daniel's still staring at the board, and Sam waits until he looks up to catch his eye. She glances at the score sheet again, and crumples it up.

"What?"

Daniel doesn't answer immediately, and she almost thinks he hasn't heard. He reaches out towards the board, his fingers tracing over Teal'c's last word.

"You know," he says slowly, and Sam waits for the rest. "My Goa'uld isn't perfect, but -"

"Yes?" she prompts, when it becomes apparent that he's lost in thought again.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't actually a word."

-

Vala taps her foot impatiently in the open doorway, sighing ever so slightly before Teal'c finally follows her in.

"I was ensuring that we were not followed," he says at her expectant look, and she nods. It wouldn't do to get caught.

The lights are still on, even this late at night, but the commissary is empty. Hurrying a little, Vala makes her way towards the kitchen, and she senses rather than hears Teal'c still behind her.

"Over there," she says quietly. It's darker in here, but the light from the commissary is enough to see by, and she makes her way over to the fridge. She smiles a little as she reaches for the handle, and pauses as Teal'c's hand closes over hers.

"What?" she asks, keeping her voice to a whisper.

"Is this really necessary, Vala Mal Doran?" He raises a questioning eyebrow, and Vala tries not to feel as if she's been caught stealing.

"Oh, come on," she says, after a moment. "It's not as if they can't get more. Besides, I just want to see Daniel's face."

After a beat, Teal'c nods, and Vala opens the door. She moves carefully, trying not to spill any as she packs the jello into an empty bow, pausing only to dip her finger into one of the molds.

"Want some?" she asks, and Teal'c nods ever so slightly as she passes him a bowl.

The next day, his expression betrays nothing as Daniel yells about the unexpected jello shortage, and she raises a hand to cover her smile.

-

"Well, this is just great."

Teal'c says nothing as Sam slowly paces the room - the cell, it could more accurately be called, though there are no locks on the door. There are, however, armed guards standing on the other side, and he quickly discards the notion of trying to fight their way out.

"We'll be fine," Cam says, not sounding as if he entirely believes it. Sam glares at him, and he shrugs. "Probably. How was I to know we were supposed to bring a gift?"

Nobody mentions the fact that he hadn't hesitated before accepting one in return from the city's leaders; apportioning blame isn't their highest priority right now.

Leaning against the far wall, Vala reaches into her pack, and Teal'c raises an eyebrow as she pulls out a plastic bowl of jello.

"Where did you get that?" Daniel asks sharply, and Vala shrugs; she looks up at Teal'c, and after a moment, he crosses the room.

"Vala Mal Doran," he says. "May I have your bag?"

She looks confused, but hands it over. Ignoring the questioning looks from the others, Teal'c knocks on the door, once, and steps out.

The rest of the team is standing anxiously when he returns, and he inclines his head. "We are free to go."

"What did you do?" Cam asks, but they waste no time in following him out. Vala glances at him knowingly.

"It appears the soldiers on this world also like jello," he says, turning left to exit the compound. "However, I suggest we hurry."


End file.
